System for monitoring a vehicle with pneumatic tires, signal analysis method, and vehicle tire

• US 7,000,462 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kuchler, Gregor, Hillenmayer, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/985,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/464, 731/465, 731/462, 731/463, 731/468, 737/14, 340442-448, 152/152.1
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0488 Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/04 Tire deformation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1725 Using tyre sensors, e.g. Sidewall Torsion sensors [SWT] for tyre pressure and temperature detection B60C23/00

Abstract

A system for monitoring a vehicle fitted with pneumatic tires has, on at least one wheel of the vehicle, a pressure sensor for sensing the tire inflation pressure, and a deformation sensor joined to the tire for sensing deformations of the tire. A data transmission device transmits the output signals from the sensors to an analysis device, which determines from the output signals a result in dependence on the output signals from the two sensors. Frequency-dependent analysis is employed to derive, from the output signals from the deformation sensor, a signal corresponding to the static loading on the tire and a signal corresponding to the nature of the road surface.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a vehicle with pneumatic tires, comprising:

a pressure sensor disposed to sense a tire inflation pressure of at least one wheel of the vehicle and to output a sensor output signal;

a deformation sensor for sensing deformations of a tire, joined to a sidewall of the tire at a location that is subject to strong deformation when a pneumatic pressure in the tire is too low in relation to a weight of the vehicle, said deformation sensor generating an output signal in dependence on the deformation of the sidewall;

an analysis unit;

a data transmission device for transmitting the sensor output signal of said pressure sensor and the output signal of said deformation sensor to said analysis unit;

said analysis unit including a filtering device configured to subject the output signal from said deformation sensor to low-frequency filtering in dependence on a speed of rotation of the wheel, to generate a signal substantially corresponding to a quasi-static tire deformation, and to high-frequency filtering in dependence on the speed of rotation of the wheel, to generate a signal characterizing a nature of a road surface.

2. The system according to claim 1, which further comprises a memory module with tire-specific data affixed to the tire, and wherein a content of the memory module is selectively read out via said data transmission device.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine a load on the wheel from the tire inflation pressure, a tire rotation speed signal, and the output signal from said deformation sensor.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine a desired tire inflation pressure from the load on the wheel.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine a desired tire inflation pressure depending on the nature of the road surface.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine a desired tire inflation pressure depending on the load on the wheel, the vehicle speed, and the nature of the road surface.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine a deviation of an actual deformation of the tire from a tire-specific desired deformation thereof.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine desired adjustment values for a running gear of the vehicle, and the adjustment values depend on at least one of a vehicle loading and the nature of the road surface that have been determined.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least one output from said analysis device is connected to at least one actuator for setting at least one parameter of the vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis device is configured to determine desired adjustment values for a braking device and/or drive system on the vehicle, which depend on at least one of a vehicle loading and the nature of the road surface that have been determined.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein at least one output from said analysis device is connected to at least one actuator for setting at least one parameter of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle tire configured for use in the system according to claim 1, comprising:

a sidewall subject to sidewall deformation when a tire inflation pressure is insufficient, and the deformation sensor disposed in or on said sidewall of the tire in a region thereof where said sidewall deforms when the tire inflation pressure is insufficient.

17. The vehicle tire according to claim 16, wherein said deformation sensor is a strain gauge, a piezo-electric sensor, or a combination of the two.

18. The vehicle tire according to claim 16, wherein said deformation sensor is integrated to form a unit together with a device for generating electrical energy, a pressure sensor, a memory module for storing tire-specific data, an electronic module, and a transmission unit.

12. A method of analyzing an output signal from a pneumatic tire deformation sensor affixed on or in a sidewall of the tire that is subject to deformation when a pneumatic pressure value is too low, the method which comprises:

analyzing a low-frequency range of the output signal, correlating with a wheel rotation speed to generate a correlated signal, and averaging the correlated signal to generate an averaged signal, for generating from the averaged signal a signal substantially corresponding to a static loading on the pneumatic tire; and

analyzing a high-frequency range of the output signal, correlating with the wheel rotation speed to generate a correlated signal, and generating, from the correlated signal, a signal representing the nature of the road surface.

13. A vehicle tire, comprising:

a sidewall subject to sidewall deformation when a tire inflation pressure is insufficient, and a deformation sensor disposed in or on said sidewall of the tire in a region thereof where said sidewall deforms when the tire inflation pressure is insufficient.

14. The vehicle tire according to claim 13, wherein said deformation sensor is a strain gauge, a piezo-electric sensor, or a combination of the two.

15. The vehicle tire according to claim 13, wherein said deformation sensor is integrated to form a unit together with a device for generating electrical energy, a pressure sensor, a memory module for storing tire-specific data, an electronic module, and a transmission unit.